PARIS: 2007, 2015
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CHARTRES
Our 2007 trip to Paris was constructed around a visit to Chartres Cathedral. The Rick Steves' tour began on Saturday - the labyrinth at Chartres was cleared of chairs on Friday, so we had to get to Chartres on Friday. I had our itinerary planned, train times researched, everything set. Then the transportation strike - no trains, no subways. I contacted a private van company that ran 4-hour tours from Paris to Chartres. The Paris streets and highway to/from the city were clogged - taking us 2 hours to simply get out of Paris. We only had 2 hours to explore the cathedral and town before the 2-hour return trip and, of course, the chairs were not cleared and our tour guide had no clout with the Chartres staff. C'est la guerre. C'est la vie.
The entrance to Chartres Cathedral - the doors are below the west-facing rose window. Views are from the outside-in and from the inside-out.
Nearly all my Chartres pictures were lost in a computer crash. These few had been uploaded to Snapfish or Shutterfly and I was able to retrieve them.
The story of Anna and Joachim, the parents of the Virgin Mary, is told in the apocryphal Gospel of James and carved in stone in the sanctuary of Chartres.
This is the tunic the Sancta Camisia that was given to the church in 876 and supposedly worn by the Virgin Mary during the birth of Jesus.
A stained glass window from the 12th Century, called "Notre-Dame de la Belle-Verrière" or "The Blue Virgin." The blue of the Madonna's tunic in the window is considered "mystical blue" and is known as Chartres Blue.
Back in 2007 I took a picture of the Black Madonna of Chartres, a picture lost in my computer crash. The statue underwent restoration in/around 2017. The soot and grime that covered much of the stained glass and stone were cleaned off, so the Black Madonna of Chartres no longer exists! When she was commissioned in the 16th Century, it was as a copy of "Notre-Dame la Blanche" - Our Lady the White One and that's what's there now.
After touring the Cathedral and assuring myself there was no way to walk the labyrinth, Paul and I spent a few minutes exploring the village of Chartres.
We had a glass of wine to celebrate the new release of Beaujolais nouveau wines of 2007.
In 2007 Paul and I went into the glass shop across the street from the Cathedral, where I bought a souvenir bookmark. Here's a woo-woo note: when I bought my house in Cambria in 2013, hanging in the bedroom was an 18 x 24 stained glass piece. The owners were surprised that I recognized it as Chartres Cathedral - they had purchased the piece from the shop below.
On both the 2007 tour and the 2015 tour, Versailles seemed like an add-on (and, for me, an unnecessary add-on!). I have no pictures of Versailles from 2007 and can remember nothing of our visit except that it was raining. From 2015 my impression remains of scaffolding, renovation and, not much else. The gardens were immense and there was some Fall color.
VERSAILLES
Either the hall of windows or the hall of mirrors - I'm not too sure which. Lots of chandeliers and crystal and gilt.
Wonderful to see the schoolchildren all attempting some kind of art work - I have rarely visited a museum in Europe (London, Paris, Spain) where there weren't groups of children studying art.
Chandeliers, gilt and mirrors - who could ask for anything more? (Me! Palaces not my thing!)
I love fabrics/textiles! Isn't this mix of pattern gorgeous!
The gardens with their strong sculptural shapes were far more interesting than gilt and mirrors.
"I have the distinct feeling someone is eavesdropping on our conversation....."
October in the Gardens of Versailles
Not sure why this large, mirror-like structure was here, but it provided a focal point for lots of tourist pictures and speculation.
When I think of Versailles, I smile, not because of something that happened in Versailles, but because of something that was said in St. Petersburg, Russia. I was touring the Peterhof Palace, which has a breathtaking display of fountains and cascading waters, and someone said, "This is as beautiful as Versailles" and our Russian guide snapped back, "Better than Versailles - Peterhof fountains are always on!" I have never seen Versailles fountains working - not in June, not in October.
Bayeux
On the Road Scholar tour, Bayeux was our headquarters for three nights while we took day trips to Mont St. Michel, sampled Calvados and Pommeau, and visited World War II sites.
The brass discs are used to guide the tourists' footsteps to significant destinations, in this case the Bayeux Tapestry - the design is representative of the trees in the tapestry.
While in Bayeux, we stayed at the Churchill Hotel.
The hotel staff were extremely attentive and accommodating, letting me use their printer for an unexpected travel hiccup. They also made the best cup of coffee!
While the tapestry and cathedral are the big tourist draws, Bayeux, itself, is quite picturesque, with walkways running along the River Aure.
Because we were traveling to other sites in the daytime, the only chance to visit Bayeux Cathedral was at night. Fortunately, it was beautifully lit and with a little moonlight added.
Some cathedrals "speak" to me more than others - Bayeux is one. Its site is ancient, built atop Roman sanctuaries. The Cathedral itself is Norman, consecrated in 1077 but much of it replaced in following generations with architecture of the Gothic style.
Many side chapels for specific devotions.
This stained glass window is over the chapel on the south side of the Cathedral.
I love to look at the artwork, light a candle and sit awhile in the smaller chapels of the large cathedrals, like Bayeux.
A memorial to the soldiers, French and British of WWI.
I have been in crypts before, in Florence at the Duomo, and now this one in Bayeux. In a future year I would eat in a crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London (where there is a cafe whose proceeds benefit the homeless). They are all wildly different! This crypt was part of the original construction of the Cathedral in 1077, although the paintings of angels with musical instruments date from somewhere around the 15th Century.
